Solo Travel: A Journey To Embrace Adventure and Discover Yourself

If you love to explore new places, taste new cuisines, meet new people, and try different adventure activities, you have a traveler’s heart, and you should consider trying solo travel to explore even more surreal experiences.

Solo travel is a new trend that young adults and digital nomads usually like to embrace. Data shows that post-pandemic solo travel has risen by 761.15%. Solo traveling makes you less dependent on others and helps you explore new places and learn new things. And with work-from-home being the normal routine, most people are indulging in solo travel to rejuvenate themselves, improve their productivity and meet new people.

Solo traveling not only helps you explore new places but to know yourself better. It also makes your travel plans hassle-free as you will not need to deal with last-minute cancellations if your friend has dropped or run out of your budget, as your group loves to stay in luxury hotels or dine in expensive restaurants. With solo travel, you can keep a cap on both your budget and itinerary. While solo travel may be challenging, especially for first-time travelers, with proper planning and preparation, solo travel becomes extremely rewarding and brings everlasting memories. Let us uncover the benefits of solo travel and look into some tips for solo travelers in this article.

Why Solo Travel?

While you may think that solo traveling empowers you to select your desired destination and interact with people of your choosing, the benefits of solo travel go beyond personal preferences. Solo traveling is a transformative lifestyle that profoundly influences one’s choices and decisions.

Here are some benefits of Solo travel you must know:

1. Solo Traveling Makes You Independent

Solo travel is a liberating experience that allows you to enjoy your vacation on your own terms. There are no strict itineraries, no one persuading you to eat or explore in a particular way, and, most importantly, no one pushing you into activities. Through solo travel, you encounter and overcome challenges independently, learn about yourself, build your self-confidence, and, above all, learn to enjoy your own company.

2. Solo Travel Teaches You to Get out of Your Comfort Zone

While you might believe that solo travel offers freedom and relieves you from your everyday chaos, it’s not always the same. With Solo travel, you learn to interact with new people, make critical decisions, take accountability for your health and safety, and ditch your laziness and move out to explore early without dozing in bed for so long. Without a doubt,, solo travel teaches and pushes you outside of your comfort zone.

3. Solo Traveling Gives You Lifetime Experiences

Solo traveling helps you understand yourself better and builds your problem-solving skills. When you travel alone, you learn to face challenges, overcome obstacles and learn from your mistakes, transforming into a more resilient and enlightened individual.

4. You Can Make New Friends During Your Solo Travel

Solo Travel doesn’t need to be boring. As a solo traveler, you have the opportunity to socialize and connect with like-minded individuals who share common interests.

Solo Travel Tips

While solo traveling seems complicated, it can be easy if you have planned your trip beforehand. Here are some valuable Solo travel tips and tricks that help backpackers enjoy solo travel without feeling overwhelmed in unfamiliar places.

1. Have a Plan in Your Mind

Envision the places you are planning to visit and conduct thorough research. Learn about the local sites, cultural aspects, and languages spoken in that area, and create your itinerary accordingly. Reach out to people who have previously visited the location and talk to them.

If no one has visited the location in your circle, you can always utilize the power of social media, join relevant Facebook groups, or connect with fellow solo travelers. Ask questions, exchange viewpoints, and tap into their experiences to gain valuable insights about your destination. It might seem challenging initially, but it will definitely enhance your solo travel journey.

2. Book your Airline Tickets in Advance

Airfare prices keep on skyrocketing during the holiday season, so be prepared and plan ahead. Look for holiday packages where you can find deals on flights. Booking in advance not only helps you avoid stress but also secures a fair price. Direct flights are recommended to minimize the chances of delays or last-minute cancellations.

Use Priceline, CheapOair, or MakeMyTrip to book your tickets. Be smart about your bookings and use SmartyPlus to claim travel rebates on baggage fees, in-flight meals, and in-air Wi-Fi access. This means you can now travel fearlessly.

3. Choose to Live in Hostels

Many individuals believe that staying in hostels requires sacrificing luxury and adjusting to less comfortable accommodations. However, this is not always the case. Hostels offer a range of options, from lavish single rooms to budget-friendly dormitories, providing a plethora of benefits for travelers.

You can access the hostel kitchen and enjoy your favorite food or avoid paying heavy taxes and tips in the restaurant, enjoy board games in the lobby area, get in the gym, work peacefully in the study/work area, or make new friends and share your travel stories with your co-travelers. You can also find some hostels lit with a party atmosphere with DJs and Happy Hours. Book a hostel on Hoatelworld or Agoda and save with our coupons and Smarty Cashback.

Also Read: Is Smarty Cashback Real? Let’s Uncover the Truth!

4. Prefer Public Transportation

Choosing a bus or train transportation during your solo travel is cost-effective and safe, and it’s a great opportunity to meet locals and learn more about the city’s culture. Conversely, when you walk alone in the streets, you might feel disoriented and unsure of your surroundings.

When public transportation doesn’t align with your preferences, you can always use Uber and Lyft or rent a car. You can book your car in advance to avoid last-minute price surges or unavailability of the vehicles. If concerns about potential price drops arise, rest assured that Smarty is here to assist you in navigating such situations and ensuring you don’t lose out on savings. The Order Protection feature from SmartyPlus gives you price drop alerts and helps you claim money back if car rental pricing has gone down. This way, you need not worry about your advanced booking.

5. Connect with Strangers

Solo travel is the best way to make new friendships and connect with individuals from diverse backgrounds. While most people fear interacting with strangers, especially introverts, talking with fellow travelers and locals is advisable. You can unveil new stories, learn about a new dish, or explore a new skill if you are open to striking conversations. Embracing such experiences fosters personal growth and enables you to evolve into a more enriched individual.

6. Be Flexible

Remember, Solo travel is the gateway to embracing freedom and self-discovery through exploration. Therefore, remain flexible, try to accommodate yourself with changes, and incorporate the advice you receive from others during your travel. Stay open-minded and receptive to fully embrace new experiences during solo travel, unlocking the joys of novelty along the way.

Whether it’s sampling traditional cuisine, experimenting with different attire, or discovering hidden adventure havens, avoid being too rigid with your itinerary. Sometimes, remarkable experiences come without a plan and can’t be found on the internet. Take a road that’s less traveled to encounter life-changing moments. Who knows, you might view breathtaking spots or gain insights that transform you into a whole new person.

7. Try Local Food and Visit Local Events

Pizza, burgers, spaghetti, or classic salmon bagel; these dishes are undeniably loved by many. However, when you find yourself in your favorite destination, is this the cuisine you truly want to savor? While we all have our food preferences, traveling gives us the advantage of trying some exotic dishes leaving our taste buds surprised. And this can be relished when you explore local food. You will learn about new recipes and their history, so don’t miss out on treating yourself to local food.

Here’s another thing you can explore during your solo travel – attending local events. This can include local festivals, fairs, or sporting events; you will definitely enjoy the place’s rich heritage. Moreover, you can shop for local souvenirs and gifts for your loved ones, all at a reasonable price.

8. Keep a Journal

Keeping a journal helps you keep track of your thoughts and your emotions and relieve you from the stress and anxiety of solo traveling. Journaling helps you feel less lonely in your journey. You can write about various aspects of your trip, from the places you visited and the people you encountered to the things you bought during your solo trip. You can even write about the accommodations, the foods you sampled, and the lessons you learned during your stay.

Here is a quick tip – Before starting your solo trip, write everything about your bookings, itinerary, shopping list, and your budget – this will serve as a checklist.

Is Solo Travel Safe?

While solo travel continues to gain popularity, many people, especially women, think twice before considering solo traveling due to safety concerns. According to a global 2021 survey, 65 percent of women respondents identified personal safety as their primary hurdle when contemplating a solo trip. This raises the question: Is solo travel truly safe?

Absolutely! Solo travel is safe if you plan it properly. Take precautionary measures, be aware of your surroundings, and trust your instincts. You can even book a guided tour from Contiki if you aren’t sure about handling everything on your own.

Remember the following safety measures during your solo vacation:

Keep all your travel documents, cards, and cash safe. Try to keep some cash aside in the hostel/hotel if you get a locker to make sure you have a backup during uncertainties like theft or misplacing your bag.
Share your itinerary and whereabouts with your friends and family to ensure everything is going right. This way, you and your loved one will have confidence about your vacation.
Be smart with your smartphone and download apps like Maps, Uber, and Google Translate on your mobile. You can also keep soft copies of your travel documents on your mobile, always charge your mobile, and have a battery backup.
Ask for help when needed. You may feel embarrassed to ask for help, but fidgeting and fumbling on the roads and staying clueless will only attract evil eyes. Your innocence might make you prey on the hands of the wrong people. So be proactive and ask for help. Most people will respond to you smilingly and offer you help.
Believe your instincts because only some people who offer help are well-wishers. If you feel someone has bad intentions behind striking up a conversation or you feel less safe in the nightclub, be the first one to come out and stay safe.

Discover Yourself With Solo Travel!

While most people misunderstand solo travel by assuming it is lonely, it never has to be. There are always hostels and guided tours that can make you feel less lonely, and yes! Solo travel gives you a chance to build new friendships with your co-travelers. So pack your bags and plan your solo trip, keeping in mind all the tips for solo travelers and leverage Smarty to explore coupons and Smarty cashback on your air tickets and travel gear and claim travel rebates with SmartyPlus.